FREE

WRONGFULLY CONVICTEDWRONGFULLY INCARCERATED

Wrongfully Convicted. Wrongfully Incarcerated.

PETITION

No less than five judges, state and federal, have found that Kris Helton was wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder because an "inexperienced" assistant public defender, Gerod Hooper, failed to investigate and present jurors with "inviolable" and "persuasive" proof of his innocence.Even so, he remains wrongfully incarcerated in a state prison just because another attorney, Mel Black, failed to ensure a timely filing of his federal habeas petition (a purely procedural technicality unrelated to the merits of his ineffective assistance of counsel claim against Hooper).

We believe that this is fundamentally unfair!Even Senator Patrick Leahy, a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has written, "As a former prosecutor, I know that nothing presents a greater risk of convicting an innocent person than an incompetent lawyer.Far too often, defendants find their lives in the hands of underpaid court-appointed lawyers who are inexperienced, inept, or uninterested."

Please sign this petition to help family members, friends, and other supporters use the immense power of the people and social media to free Kris for a crime he didn't commit.Simply enter your name and e-mail address in the appropriate boxes below.You don't have to be a member of this website to sign!However, you must enter a brief message explaining why you believe Kris should be freed (most people say something like, "I believe Kris Helton should be freed because he’s innocent!").Then carefully enter the required validation codes in the very last box.When you're done, click the "Post Comment" button.Thanks for your support!

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678 Comments

proceduralism has its place,but 27 plus years is 7 years longer than albert speer ,hitler's minister of armaments served for prolonging ww2 for a year and a half through the employment of slave labor.let him go home

Every day that Kris Helton remains wrongly imprisoned is beyond oppressive. It is blatant tyranny and anyone who doesn't see it is out of touch. Be the positive change our country needs and set him free!

This has become epidemic in our nation. The incompetence of attorneys along with corruption at the local level results in innocent men and women spending their lives behind bars. The damage to families, our society and general morale is immeasurable. Release Kris Helton on the basis of actual innocence!

An accused places their very life in the hands of the person designated to represent them in a court of law. Life in prison is a very real consequence of ineffective assistance of council-and everyone but the wrongly convicted gets to go home at night and resume their lives. Failure to require consistent, competent, capable representation by counsel and prosecutors have created a nationwide failure of our justice system. It is time for those that are wrong and have wronged the innocent to stand up and be accountable for their actions. Admit your shortcomings and do the right thing. Free Kris Helton